欧洲学生会议:学会学习的重要性
出国留学网讯 当今人才市场越来越注重员工的适应能力,学会学习的重要性日趋明显,本文结合欧洲学生会议的主要内容,讨论了学会学习的含义和主要方式,希望对大学生们有所帮助。
At last week’s European Students Convention (ESC27) in Brussels (which I was lucky enough to attend), the overriding theme of the conference was employability, and the role higher education can play in developing employability for both individuals and entire societies. There was some debate on the issue of what “employability” – now such a commonly used term – actually means, and what kind of policies and approaches could help to ensure the next generation of graduates possesses as much of this illusive quality as possible. But there was one general point of agreement which was repeatedly voiced across the three days of talks: the importance of learning to learn.
上周在布鲁塞尔举办的欧洲学生会议中,主要讨论的都是就业能力和大学在提高学生就业能力并为社会提供优质工作者的过程中所扮演的角色。会议中讨论了什么是就业能力,也讨论了应该采取怎样的政策和方法来提高学生的就业能力。然而这三天的会议也有一个呼声很高的话题:学会学习的重要性。
Lifelong learning and the ability to adapt
The significance placed on “learning to learn” (or indeed, lifelong learning) emerges from an understanding of the current and future employment market as one in which workers increasingly need to be able to adapt to new roles. MEP Isabelle Thomas was the first speaker of many to make this point, telling students that “The job you have at 50 will be very different from the one you have at 25.”
Ivana Juraga of the European University Association likewise argued that it’s no longer the case that graduates can expect a single or fixed career path; change is more likely to be the norm. “The old rules don’t apply anymore.”
Meanwhile Adam Tyson, Head of Higher Education and Erasmus at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture, pointed out that this means universities face the challenge of preparing students for “opportunities that we have no conception of at the moment.”
学会适应的能力
学会学习(或者说终身学习)的概念源于当今人才市场上对员工提高适应力的需求。MEP Isabelle Thomas是第一个提出这个概念的人,他告诉学生:“你们在50岁时所做的工作可能和在25岁时所做的很不相同。”
来自欧洲大学联盟的Ivana Juraga也表示毕业生不能再指望自己能永远稳定地待在同一个职业中,变化通常是不可避免的。
与此同时,Adam Tyson指出这意味着大学将面临帮助学生提高不同职业适应力的能力。
Calls for greater recognition of soft skills
While conference attendees and panellists were generally in agreement that higher education should prepare students for lifelong learning, there was also a widespread feeling that soft skills are not currently valued highly enough by employers, and in some cases also by education providers. In a survey of student union representatives across Europe conducted as part of ESU’s SAGE research project, respondents largely said they felt that employers didn’t value general and "soft" skills as highly as "hard" and role-specific skills. Adam Tyson said, they also expected all graduates to have developed more general soft skills such as critical thinking, research skills, time management and communication skills. With some notable exceptions, Tyson said the majority of employers still think in terms of the skills they need today (or even yesterday), rather than considering what kind of employees will best be able to help their company evolve and adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Citing Microsoft as an example of a more forward-looking recruiter placing value on adaptability and lifelong learning, Tyson argued that employers should consider future needs more in the recruitment process, and that universities should also take a longer term perspective when attempting to match higher education provision with labor market demands.
提高”软技能”意识
与会者都表示高等教育应该让学生有学会学习和终身学习的意识,然而他们也注意到雇主和学校如今都还没有给”软技能”足够的重视。Adam Tyson指出毕业生应具备像辩证思维、研究能力、时间管理和沟通能力等软技能。有些公司依然只重视员工的“硬技能”,而忽略员工的潜能和将来可能给公司带来的巨大效益。Tyson表示公司应该从长远出发,考虑潜在效益。
What does “learning to learn” look like?
Of course it’s easy to say that universities should prepare students for lifelong learning, but what does “learning to learn” really look like in practice? Well, for ESU and most of the conference participants, this is connected to the wider concept of student-centred learning, which was summed up by Education International’s Guntars Catlaks as a shift away from the “delivery of knowledge” and towards the “development of knowledge and skills”. ESU’s Student Centred Learning Toolkit explores the many different elements that constitute a student-centred learning approach, with key aspects including active learning; deep learning and understanding; increased responsibility and accountability placed on the student; an increased sense of autonomy in the student; a reflexive approach to learning; and mutual respect and interdependence between the teacher and learner.
学会学习的含义
“学会学习”实际上是什么意思呢?这是一种以学生为中心的学习,是从知识的传递到知识和技能的发展过程。欧洲大学联盟指出,以学生为中心的教学方式有很多种,比如积极思考、深入学习和理解、加强对学生的责任感、培养学生自我管理能力,反思学习和师生之间平等独立又互相尊重的相处方式等等。
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